This invention relates to automatic tool exchange apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for exchanging a tool between the spindle of a machine tool and a tool magazine containing a number of tools received in tool pots.
Where a tool magazine is installed on one side of the column of the machine tool with the axes of the tool pots directed orthogonal to the axis of the spindle of the machine tool, the tool exchange between the tool magazine and the machine tool must relay upon complicated mechanisms for avoiding interference between tools. Among these may be mentioned a mechanism utilizing an intermediate arm and an intermediate pot in addition to a tool exchanging arm, and a mechanism for swinging the axis of a tool pot indexed to the tool exchange position to a position parallel to the axis of the spindle of the machine tool.
Since such prior art tool exchange apparatus are not only complicated in construction because of the intermediary of an intermediate arm and an intermediate pot but also require larger number of operation steps thus increasing the tool exchange time. Moreover, to swing the tool pots, complicated tool magazine must be used.